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Silvio da Parma
“''The ignorance which unbinds the mirror; the pen and paper which unravels its beginnings...” —Somnium Fluxus '''Silvio da Parma '(ダンテダパルマ, da Paruma Sirubiou) was a Sagus and Italian scholar best known for his metaphysical research inspired by his unorthodox experiences throughout life, as well as the discovery of his own supernatural powers. Silvio recorded all of his findings in a private journal, which was later published under a pseudonym in the following years after his death; the journal has been maintained to this day. Silvio was famous for his crusade throughout France to retrieve his family heirloom, Axenus Gate's legendary Rex Nothus, which was placed inside Silvio's casket and buried alongside him after his death. During his travels, Silvio interacted with several spiritual races as well as other Sagi, including the infamous Randa Primarosa, his indirect ancestor. He is lauded as one of the pioneers of supernatural research and a hallmark hero of legend. He was the only Sagus to ever be personally trained by Velia Agostinha Vivax. Appearance Silvio was often described as a handsome man who easily stood out from a crowd with his radiant silver eyes and eccentric fashion. His tall, lean-muscled build contrasted his exceptional physical strength and commonly deceived over-zealous opponents. Silvio's regular stern expression was said to compliment him with an ambiance of mystery and deep wisdom contradicting his long, unkempt brown hair. Silvio remained consistent throughout adolescence and adulthood with a slight beard. Upon discovering his true nature, Silvio regularly wore an ensemble inspired by that commonly worn by initiated Sagi, characterized in particular by a long, sleeveless black hooded trenchcoat adorned with gold fabric belts around the opening extending inches beyond the trenchcoat and originating just underneath the hood; the trenchcoat is held in place with a small string fastened with a circular buckle. Underneath the trenchcoat, Dante wore a sleeveless white button-up v-shaped vest, low-cut so as to expose a large portion of his chest, tied at the top by a black ribbon attached to it, and below by a black belt with a golden square buckle which was edged from below with a ring shape. Worn underneath his vest were wide black trousers and, worn over it, glossy boots of the same color. Silvio accessorized his arms with dark armbands embroidered with three golden rings. Personality Silvio, by his own admission, was best defined in his youth by his insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge. His parents' negligence had led him to become solitary and even arrogant from a misguided desire for independence. Even so, Silvio valued his family's honor above all else, a trait which, alongside his free spirit, birthed a courageous persona with which he defended his loved ones and ultimately set off on the quest which would raise him into a heroic figure adored by his allies. Initially, Silvio's pride had led him to become selfish and even apathetic, evident by his drive to abandoned his distraught family merely to retrieve a treasured family heirloom. The tragedy of his family's downfall and his general lack of regard for the lives of strangers inspired a willingness to commit whatever acts necessary to prolong his life and achieve his goals, such as extorting powerless individuals by abusing his own power; however, as he matured, Silvio began to rationalize the true value of order and cooperation, accepting that his capabilities alone would be insufficient to truly progress in his ambition, a realization which greatly humbled him. Even so, Silvio was still willing to take drastic and spontaneous measures towards securing his victory as long as no innocents were harmed or unjustly manipulated in the process, going as far as to deny himself an opportunity to drastically further his own goals otherwise. As a man who sought to restore his family's honor, Silvio became greatly concerned with his own status, assisting those in need as a means to prove himself regardless of any compensation, evident from his attempts to become a prominent figure in his home church. While bolstering his own status remained top priority in such endeavors, Silvio genuinely cared for others, especially the powerless. By his own admission, Silvio initially saw his supernatural research as little more than an opportunity to secure fame for both himself and his adoptive family, further indicating his loyalty to his loved ones. As he confronted his own father's misdeeds and came to realize how his research could impact society for the better, Silvio gradually forewent the importance of his honor and simply sought to teach and protect humanity regardless of how his actions would affect his reputation. Even as he willingly cooperated with like-minded individuals, Silvio still sought to maintain a certain level of independence, which was referenced by Ichchha-un-Idika Edha Guha Thakurta's description of him as, “none less than a leader.” Such a strong passion to maintain a position at a helm often placed Silvio at odds with his companions as well as those who attempted to manipulated his actions; even so, it had resulted from his belief that only he could rightly solve his own plight rather than out of ill will or arrogance. Silvio nevertheless held in high regard those with greater knowledge or experience than himself, such as Ichchha, and on many occasions proved himself as an effective, considerate leader with his followers' best interests in mind. Silvio's strong sense of justice as well as his wit with words allowed him to easily convince the unaffiliated to join his cause and fully understand his ambition. With confidence and resolve, Silvio led his follows believing that no life was expendable in war, yet knowing that loss was inevitable and he could not ensure every follower's survival. Such followers who could not be saved were guaranteed to at least die meaningfully under Silvio's leadership. Silvio's respect extended not only to his follows and mentors, but to his opponents as well. With his open-minded nature and belief that all life possesses significant meaning, Silvio respected and even understood the ambitions of his enemies, and as such fought them simply to further his own ambitions rather than out of ill will; every opposition was, to him, an opportunity to learn and broaden his understanding of human desire, an understanding which Silvio believed to be a necessity for effective leadership. Silvio did not disregard even enemies who had previously acted as allies such as Fabien, whose funeral Silvio personally organized and attended. Skeptical of the concept of "destiny," Silvio strongly believed that his actions were of his own will and that his future was his alone to decide. After encountering Velia Agostinha Vivax, who claimed that She had carefully orchestrated the events surrounding Rex Nothus, Silvio began to question the nature and purpose of his existence, ultimately concluding that whether he had been used by the deity or not, it was ultimately inconsequential, for he had found his own reasons for existing and refused to abandon those who relied upon him as a hero. It was after this realization that Silvio fully accepted himself as a scholar of the supernatural, a hero of France, and a messenger of Agostinha, inspiring his more gregarious lifestyle as to conform to all three occupations. Following his training under Ichchha, Silvio developed a strong appreciation for nature as well as animals, particularly horses, and consequently adopted a vegan diet. As a scholar of the supernatural, Silvio enjoyed recording his findings in a quiet environment. His habit of detailing his life in a journal resulted from his belief that his own experience to serve to guide following generations of leaders and aspiring scholars. He was a devout historian who viewed events of the past as a guide to better the future. History Early Life and First Spiritual Encounter Silvio was born within a peasant family in the countryside of Parma, Italy in 1480, the last-born son of Massimo and Clarice da Parma. Silvio was mostly sheltered in his childhood, having little interaction with his parents in comparison to his two elder brothers, Orlando and Gillberto, and rarely given any opportunity to venture outdoors. While Silvio was taught to read and write by his brothers, he was mostly self-educated, primarily studying art and literature when confined to his room, and agriculture and nature on the few occasions he was allowed to wander outside. Massimo, referred to as a highly wary man in Silvio's autobiography, trained the latter in the art of swordsmanship. Silvio's family had few valuable possessions, save for several heirlooms which included Rex Nothus. Rex Nothus, in particular, was highly treasured; Silvio was forbidden to even examine the sword. Massimo, for reasons he would not disclose, entrusted Silvio with a Sacrificium Cultri, another family heirloom, at some point in his late childhood, much to the jealousy of his elder brothers. As a rebellious teenager, Silvio often snuck outdoors late at night whenever an opportunity presented itself. On one particular night, Silvio rushed outside upon noticing a peculiar light looming over his father's farm, caused by an Anima Casus. Silvio attempted to communicate with the spirit upon realizing that it was sentient, to which the spirit responded with gestures, in spite of its seemingly random mumbling. In the end, Silvio learned little from the spirit and retreated back to his home after nearly an hour had passed, dismissing the encounter as a hallucination from lack of sleep; the spirit disappeared shortly thereafter. Voyage to France In the morning of July 6, 1496, not long after the beginning of the Battle of Fornovo, Silvio's household was mysteriously raided by renegade troops from Charles VIII's army. The raid began shortly after Silvio awoke; Massimo, as well as Rex Nothus, was nowhere to be found. Orlando and Gillberto fended off the assailants outside whist Silvio remained indoors to protect Clarice, slaying several troops in the process; Orlando was heavily wounded and died shortly after the raid. Silvio noted that one of the soldiers had a dagger identical to his Sacrificium Cultri. With the assailants dealt with, Silvio, furious, immediately turned his attention to his missing father and family heirloom. After two days of diligently searching Fornovo for clues of his father's whereabouts (neglecting to eat or drink during the entire period), Silvio returned home, where he was informed by Clarice that Massimo, immediately following the beginning of the Battle of Fornovo, took Rex Nothus and headed off to the battlefield to defend his homeland, where he was likely slain unbeknownst to the Venetians. Silvio departed once more to search for Rex Nothus but quickly gave up, concluding that the sword was likely looted by peasantry. Massimo's disappearance left the da Parma family with fewer resources. Clarice, overwhelmed with grief, soon fell ill, leaving Silvio and Gillberto to tend to the farm. Silvio, obsessed with locating Rex Nothus and worried that his mother would not survive, privately expressed to his brother that they would need to abandon their mother and learn to survive on their own. When Gillberto, disgusted by his brother's behavior, refused, Silvio decided to leave Parma on his own in search of answers, suspecting a connection between Massimo and the troops that raided his home. To survive on his own, Silvio pillaged what he could from the local peasantry. On August 21 in Bologna, nearly several weeks after departing from home, Silvio encountered an oddly-dressed man during a late-night stroll. Before Silvio could approach the man, he was ambushed by several other cloaked individuals. Despite Silvio's best attempts to defend himself, he was soundly subdued and stabbed through the chest with a Sacrificium Cultri, rendering him unconscious. Silvio regained consciousness in an abandoned building, monitored by the same man he initially encountered, who introduced himself as Vincenzio da Rocca di Papa. Vincenzio assured Silvio that the latter was not attacked with the intent to kill him, but rather with the intent to awaken his dormant power (by forcibly converting his soul into Pactum Anima) so that he would possibly be of assistance to them. Giving Silvio no chance to speak throughout, Vincenzio informed Silvio that the men who attacked his family were not regular French soldiers, but in fact human worshipers of Velia Agostinha Vivax, the Goddess of supernatural beings known as Sagi, disguised as such. Vincenzio further informed that the raid was solely for the purpose of seizing Rex Nothus and presenting it to some Sagi situated in France; the soldiers were unaware that the sword had already been taken. Because Rex Nothus originally belonged to Axenus, who was the first Sagus and the leader of Diluculum Sanctus, the first Sagus cult, the sword held substantial symbolic power that, if abused, could cause a zealot uprising disastrous for all of Europe. It was only after explaining this that Vincenzio assured Silvio that he was well-connected with the Sagi of Italy, and that the both of them were actually Sagi themselves. After explaining to Silvio of his intentions to gather an entourage of capable Sagi and journey to France in search of Rex Nothus, Vincenzio released Silvio and asked him to return within two years if he wished to join them, knowing that he would likely require time to contemplate what he had learned. Silvio spent the remainder of the year 1496 contemplating the purpose of his life and the identity of the Sagus, but chose not to return to his family without Rex Nothus in hand. by the end of 1496, Silvio learned to control his Sagus powers, a gift which he primarily abused via extortion, injuring those who tried to subdue him; by 1498, he was so notorious throughout Bologna that he was forced to disguise himself. Silvio, upon realizing that he had forgotten the importance of his family's honor and “lost his identity,” finally returned to Vincenzio on march 18, Silvio's birthday. Silvio told Vincenzio that, while he still did not fully understand the meaning of his family's plight or trust in Vincenzio's words, he wanted to retrieve Rex Nothus and avenge his father, even if that meant siding with Vincenzio and possibly never returning to Italy for the rest of his life. Silvio spent the next several months training with Vincenzio to better control his own powers, during which he was also taught French. Silvio, Vincenzio, as well as two-dozen Sagi Vincenzio had made dealings with prior to Silvio's return, all journeyed to Rome on horseback on July of 1498, disguising themselves as nobility. Using the power of extortion, the group successfully procured a ferry and set sail for Marseille, France. Settling into France During the voyage to Marseille, Silvio and Vincenzio's group collaborated on a plan: upon arriving in Marseille, they would surrender to the French and allow themselves to be held captive; following this, the group would tell their captives of Rex Nothus and its existence in France, as well as the importance of retrieving it from the wrong hands; to further convince their captives, the group would display their supernatural powers and proclaim themselves holy crusaders. With some luck, this plan would allow them to operate freely within France as long as they abode the law, and possibly earn them the recognition of the House of France; Vincenzio emphasized that such fame would possibly be essential in later endeavors. The group was discovered by French officials shortly before arriving in Marseille on April 26, and the plan was immediately set into motion. As predicted by Vincenzio, the group was quickly released, following which Vincenzio rounded up his followers and temporarily parted ways with Silvio to make himself known to the Sagi of France, advising Silvio to do the same in his own way. Homeless, Silvio sought refuge in a church populated with several other young incognito Sagi and frequented by Diluculum Aeternus founder-to-be Ichchha-un-Idika Edha Guha Thakurta, all of whom Silvio would quickly befriend. Ichchha taught Silvio a number of techniques and later told him about the Quincy, revealing herself to be one of them. Among the regular members of the church was a child named Silvanus, a highly distraught orphan whom Silvio would assuage whenever they conversed; despite this, Silvio learned little of Silvanus' personal life. Silvio primarily supported the church by providing shelter to any abandoned children he could find; Silvio's fame substantially increased the amount of donations made to the church as well. Six months after joining the church on October 9, Silvio was acknowledged and adopted into the family of nobleman Albert Clement Simonet, largely due to Silvio's accumulating fame; consequently, Silvio adopted the name of Silvio Clement Simonet. Silvio was initially hesitant to leave the church, but Ichchha assured him that she would help ensure the church's safety before departing for England. As a gift to his new family, Silvio presented his Sacrificium Cultri to Albert, who in turn gifted Silvio with a sword “fit for any king.” During this period, Silvio made no attempt to search for Rex Nothus. Meeting with Louis XII and Encountering a Shinigami Silvio spent the following six years living peacefully with the Simonet family, at which point his life was largely uneventful. Silvio would not hear from Vincenzio again until May 7, 1505, when Vincenzio met with Silvio to exchange experiences with him. While Vincenzio was unable to locate Rex Nothus, he had greatly succeeded in raising awareness of their crusade by accomplishing numerous heroic deeds and even arranged for himself and his followers to meet with Louis XII. Per Vincenzio's insistence, Silvio reluctantly agreed to join the group in the meeting. After bidding his new family goodbye, Silvio, along with Vincenzio's group, arrived in Paris on May 14 and joined the House of France in a royal feast commenced in their honor, finally giving the group the opportunity to form a powerful alliance. Following the feast, Silvio demonstrated his supernatural powers and exceptional swordplay to Louis XII. As discreetly instructed by Vincenzio, Silvio swore an oath to the king to personally present Rex Nothus to the royal family once it was retrieved, earning him the full support of French authority. After spending some time familiarizing himself with Paris and further acquainting himself with Louis XII, Silvio returned to his family on May 20, once again parting ways with Vincenzio. Silvio would spend six more years living uneventfully with his family, during which he would begin recording his experiences in a journal. On the night of January 9, 1505, Silvio noticed an unusual light looming just outside his bedroom window. Remembering the spirit he had encountered in his childhood, Silvio rushed outside and was once again greeted by an Anima Casus. By following the Anima Casus, Silvio discovered a glistening pond inhabited by identical spirits. Standing beside the pond was an oddly-dressed woman silently observing the spirits, whom Silvio immediately attempted to communicate with. The woman, surprised at Silvio's ability to detect her, introduced herself as a Shinigami and explained that she had come to observe the Anima Casus, which, at the time, were completely foreign spirits to the Shinigami. It was from this Shinigami that Silvio learned that the Anima Casus are actually lost soul fragments that cannot be sent to the afterlife—a task the Shinigami had tried to perform prior to Silvio's arrival—because of their incomplete nature. When asked by the Shinigami as to how he was able to detect her, Silvio explained that it was likely a result of his own supernatural powers as a Sagus; following this, the Shinigami promptly left without saying a word. It was at this point that Silvio fully accepted the existence of unexplainable phenomena and desired to further explore it. On February 14, 1506, Silvio was visited by a Sagus colleague from the church, who informed Silvio that the church—left powerless with Ichchha's absence—had just recently been devastated by a mysterious creature whom only the Sagi could see. Bidding farewell to his family, Silvio took Albert's sword and returned to the church in preparation for the creature's return. In over a period of several weeks safeguarding the church, Silvio would investigate a total of seven bizarre occurrences and five murders, all presumably caused by the same creature. Silvio finally intercepted the creature on January 18 before it could further devastate the church, but he was defeated after a drawn-out duel. Silvio was ultimately saved by the same Shinigami he first encountered, following which the two collaborated to slay the creature, revealed by the Shinigami to be a Hollow. When questioned by Silvio, the Shinigami reluctantly explained the nature of Hollows and revealed that the Hollow they had defeated was formerly Silvanus, much to Silvio's guilt. Before he could return to his family the next day, Silvio was contacted by an unfamiliar Sagus who led him to a covert Sagus cult situated in Marseille. The Sagus, upon introducing himself as Fabien, revealed to Silvio that the cult had been carefully observing him since he first arrived in France and were, as a result, fully aware of Rex Nothus; Fabien added that Silvanus was formerly orphaned by the cult, which ultimately abandoned him so that he could be used to observe Silvio's capabilities when the former inevitably died and Hollowfied as a result of his mistreatment. Disgusted by the cult's actions, Silvio refused to join them and promptly left to reunite with his family; nevertheless, it was thanks to this event that nearly every Sagus of Marseille would hear of Silvio's heroics. Rising in Power and Confronting the Truth Silvio succeeded Albert as head of the Simonet family following the latter's death on March 12, 1511, inheriting his wealth and land. Overwhelmed with his new responsibilities and losing resolve, Silvio ultimately decided to forget Rex Nothus and move on with his life. Silvio's further attempts to communicate with supernatural were mostly unsuccessful; even Anima Casus were becoming increasingly rare to encounter. It was during this period that Silvio would become intimately involved with a peasant named Maria. On June 19, 1515, Silvio was frantically approached by Vincenzio, who had heard from officials of a man living in Bayonne wielding a sword identical to Silvio's description of Rex Nothus. Per Vincenzio's request, the officials had agreed to observe the man in Vincenzio's absence while making no attempt to detain him. Before departing to Bayonne, Silvio once again bid farewell to his family, promising Maria that he would marry her once he had returned. In truth, Silvio believed that he would never see his relatives again, or at least not for an extended period of time. After making preparations for a major conflict, Silvio and Vincenzio left for Bayonne. Silvio and Vincenzio arrived in Bayonne on August 3 and, following directions from officials, proceeded to hide themselves in the city square until midnight, with Silvio falling asleep due to exhaustion. At midnight, whist Silvio was still asleep, a large audience of cloaked individuals—some of which were clearly Sagi—gathered in the city square, surrounding a hardened old man wielding Rex Nothus. When awoken by Vincenzio, Silvio, in shock, identified the man as none other than his father, Massimo da Parma. To gain a full understanding of the situation, Silvio and Vincenzio disguised themselves and joined the audience. Proclaiming himself the reincarnation of Axenus, Massimo declared his intentions to usurp the Capetian dynasty and herald an age of Sagus rule, a plan which Massimo had already converted enough Sagi to carry out. It was from Massimo's speech that Silvio learned the truth—Massimo was the man who had brought Rex Nothus to France, using the First Italian War to fake his death and remove any suspicion of his involvement. The soldiers that attacked Silvio's home were, in fact, Massimo's distant affiliates, but were betrayed by him when he ordered them to raid his home in search of Rex Nothus even though he had already retrieved the sword; this was done for the purpose of “liberating” Silvio from his “inferior” relatives and giving him an opportunity to discover his true nature, as Massimo had known all along that Silvio, too, was a Sagus. Silvio and Vincenzio silently retreated from the meeting before it could be adjourned. Vincenzio, under Silvio's demand for answers, revealed that he had known all along that Massimo was responsible for bringing Rex Nothus to France, but hid the truth from Silvio so that he would be more cooperative. Following Vincenzio's orders, Silvio retreated to the city of Nimes in search of Randa Primarosa, who had just recently returned to Europe and was supposedly the only Sagus Vincenzio knew to be capable of stopping Massimo on her own; Vincenzio, in the meantime, remained in Bayonne to further observe Massimo. While patrolling the streets of Nimes late at night on October 2, Silvio was ambushed by Randa and soundly subdued. Silvio ultimately managed to convince Randa to spare him and assist in the battle against Massimo, simply by mentioning Rex Nothus. Randa revealed to Silvio that she, following Axenus' disappearance, had tried to locate Rex Nothus herself but was unsuccessful, and that Silvio's family descended from hers. Deciding that dealing with Massimo herself would make for a “less fitting story,” Randa agreed to lend Silvio Rex Nothus' sister sword, Regina Clades, under the condition that Silvio gave up his fertility to ensure that no Sagus would be born in his family. Upon accepting her terms, Silvio allowed Randa to curse him with a Vox Calamitosus spell that rendered him infertile; Randa, in turn, unsealed Regina Clades and lent it to Silvio, cryptically warning him that he would only be given one chance to swing it. After lecturing Silvio about the importance of punishing arrogant Sagi who abuse their power and take advantage of faith, Randa vanished, telling Silvio that he would meet her again in Paris, and to head there as quickly as possible. Involvement in the Battle of Successors Silvio returned to Paris on October 10, with Vincenzio and Massimo nowhere to be found. With time to spare, Silvio formally warned Francis I, the successor of Louis XII, of Massimo's conspiracy, and to prepare for an imminent holy war. With Regina Clades in hand, Silvio, as Massimo had done before him, declared himself the reincarnation of Axenus and spread the word with help from Francis I; this earned him the support of most Sagi in Paris. To further bolster the defense of Paris, Silvio returned to Marseille on October 15, where he contacted Fabien and pleaded for Sagus reinforcements. By citing the negative impact losing the holy war would have on Sagi reputation—potentially triggering a war between humans and Sagi—Silvio easily convinced Fabien and his cult to join him. By spreading the word across Marseille with Regina Clades in hand, Silvio earned additional support from civilians who worshiped Agostinha, some of which were Sagi. Silvio reunited with Vincenzio in Paris on October 22, coinciding with Randa's reappearance and the beginning of the holy war in Paris, which Silvio was immediately informed of by Vincenzio. When demanded by Randa to reveal his true identity to Silvio, Vincenzio, before Silvio's eyes, transformed into none other than Velia Agostinha Vivax as time froze around the trio. Silvio, frozen in shock, observed the ensuing banter between Agostinha and Randa. When the women were finished, Agostinha turned Her attention to Silvio and revealed that She was the one who presented Rex Nothus to Silvio's forefathers and set the chain of events into motion, solely for Her own amusement. Agostinha informed Silvio that the Sagi She had gathered were already engaged in battle with Massimo's forces, and that Silvio's fate was now in his own hands; following this, She vanished from the physical world. Empowered with resolved and now in command of his own army, Silvio stormed the battlefield on horseback with four Sagi alongside him, using Albert's esteemed sword to slay any opposition. Silvio's army successfully cornered and confronted Massimo in the dawn of October 23. Insistent on finishing the battle on his own, Silvio ordered his army to cease their assault and challenged his father to a duel, accompanied by the four Sagi acting as his bodyguards. Recognizing the face of his son, Massimo pleaded with Silvio to join him, revealing that he had spared Silvio hoping that he would adopt his ambitions and join him of his own volition. Silvio, remembering Randa's words as well as his own past, immediately declined, expressing disgust at Massimo's obsession with power. Following Massimo's monologue about his own Sagus father, Silvio raised Regina Clades in preparation for one decisive attack. The battle was brief—before Massimo could use Rex Nothus against him, Silvio proceed to attack with Regina Clades, completely obliterating Massimo despite the attack only grazing him; as payment, Regina Clades obliterated Silvio's right arm as well, showing the meaning of Randa's words. Silvio, incapacitated and dying from blood loss, was protected from the ensuring tumult of Massimo's army by his bodyguards; the battle decisively concluded as Silvio's army promptly mobilized and completely routed Massimo's army. Having awaited the end of the war, a disguised Randa abruptly appeared before Silvio, killing every Sagi surrounding him before carrying him away from the battlefield. Silvio spent the following several weeks in Randa's care. Upon fully recovering from the effects of Regina Clades' energy on November 2, Silvio informed Randa that, while he would accept her keeping Rex Nothus and Regina Clades for herself, he needed a way to fulfill the promise he had made to Louis XII ten years ago; in response, Randa crafted Silvio a sword aesthetically similar to Rex Nothus, but with only mild supernatural power. Because no one had seen Rex Nothus' capabilities, Silvio could present the fake Rex Nothus to Francis I without any suspicion and receive a rich reward while further bolstering his fame. To repair the damage caused by both him and Massimo, Silvio announced to a large gathering of Agostinha's worshipers that he and Massimo had lied to them to gain their trust, and that Axenus did not create Diluculum Sanctus for the purpose of leading believers to do his bidding, but rather to simply provide a welcoming community for Agostinha's believers and preserve their faith in Her. Silvio added that while he believed Axenus to have been an irreplaceable man, all believers had the power to preserve the meaning of Diluculum Sanctus without relying on any “second coming” of Axenus. On November 17, Silvio met with Randa one last time to ask if she intended to eliminate every believer of Agostinha in France; Randa assured Silvio that she would not do so as long as he remained in France to prevent any holy wars from occurring. Silvio left Paris with the intention of following Randa's advice by moving on with his life while learning from his father's mistakes. Reclusive Life and Battle Against Fabien Upon returning to Marseille, Silvio fulfilled his promise to Maria by marrying her on December 15, 1515. Determined to continue his research for humanity despite having already learned the truth he desired, Silvio made continual attempts throughout the following year to contact spiritual beings, most notably Anima Casus. To this end, he would regularly visit the pond that was once inhabited by said spirits. Silvio fell mysteriously ill on March 12, 1516 as his mind was plagued with bizarre reoccurring hallucinations. Suspecting a supernatural cause, Silvio once again departed from his family and consulted members of Fabien's disbanded cult he had befriended during the war; Fabien himself had supposedly died during the war. Believing the hallucinations to be a message from Agostinha upon finding no other answer, Silvio secluded himself from the public eye, hoping that doing so would grant him the clarity to understand the meaning of his hallucinations. It was also during this period that Silvio contemplated his purpose as a spiritual researcher as well as Agostinha's possible emissary. One major concern of his was that his entire life may have been orchestrated by Agostinha for little more than Her own amusement and that he had no purpose on his own. Silvio's hallucinations suddenly ceased on November 26, coinciding with the circulation of a rumor that Massimo had survived and made arrangements to rally a new Sagus uprising. Forced into action once more, Silvio traced the rumors back to Paris with the help of Fabien's allies and returned there on December 15 to investigate. Contrary to Silvio's predictions, a massive Sagus coalition had already been formed in an attempt to determine the source of the rumor and defend all of France if necessary; this massive cooperation between previously opposing cults not only led Silvio to question the legitimacy of the rumor, but enlightened him to the degree of influence his heroics and subsequent speech had over the Sagi of France. Silvio and the rest of the coalition set up headquarters in Paris and proceeded to discreetly monitor the activities of any Sagi not affiliated with the coalition; this ensured the protection of the House and France and indirectly resulted in the coalition's continual expansion as unaffiliated Sagi grew increasingly suspicious of the coalition's activities—the gathering transcended its intended purpose by becoming a method for unaffiliated Sagi to prove their innocence. As before, Silvio had the full support of French authority. The coalition would continue to monitor Sagi activity for a total of three months, during which no suspicious activity was noted. On January 21, 1517, before Silvio could formerly disband the coalition and return to Marseille, he was approached by a small party of Sagi led by the supposedly deceased Fabien. Upon surrendering to the coalition, Fabien confessed to have staged his death for the purpose of a hidden agenda which he would not then describe. He further revealed that the rumor, which he had spread himself, was not entirely untrue, and that he had clearly succeeded in his intention to lure as many Sagi possible into Paris. Fabien presented Silvio with a deal: if Silvio could defeat him in a fair public duel with the coalition as main audience, he would share with Silvio “the truth of Agostinha's ambition.” Fabien and Silvio would both have three months to prepare for this duel. Upon accepting Fabien's terms and notifying French authority of the situation, Silvio would spend the entire three months undergoing extensive training to wield a sword in his left hand and regain the ability he had lost over the year. It was during this period that Silvio would once again begin to hallucinate. Silvio met with Fabien before a large gathering comprised of both humans and Sagi on April 21. Defying the deal he had made to Silvio, Fabien promptly claimed that his true intention was to kill Silvio and earn Agostinha's acknowledgment, becoming Her true emissary as the audience witnessed the downfall of their former hero. Demonstrating his newly-acquired skill, Silvio, despite the distraction of his hallucinations, held his own against the far more experienced Fabien as the latter continually taunted him for his waning resolve. Upon contemplating a statement made by Fabien that an unnatural union could only be maintained through strong leadership, Silvio concluded that Agostinha's interest in him was ultimately irrelevant—his fate, as She had told him, was in his hands. Through his trials, he had formed a union that he had resolved to maintain for the sake of both humans and Sagi; regardless of Agostinha's intervention, his life had become far too meaningful to disregard. Invigorated by his realization as well as the roaring crowd, Silvio mortally wounded Fabien. Before his death, Fabien entrusted Silvio with all of his belongings, including his own home and followers, the former of which, he insisted, would contain a certain gift for Silvio. Having attending Fabien's funeral, Silvio returned to Marseille on May 7 and raided Fabien's house. Fabien, a spiritual researcher himself, had thoroughly documented the nature of Anima Casus. It was from Fabien's documents that Silvio learned that his hallucinations had been caused by an Anima Casus' Cruciatus. Another important finding was a note Fabien had left for Silvio, which explained that the former's true intentions was to simply mold Silvio into an ideal example for all Sagi to follow. Fabien had written of his own desire to find his purpose in life; he had become jealous of Silvio, who had seemingly been chosen as Agostinha's emissary; Ultimately, Fabien desired to die by Silvio's hand in a duel to the death which would make Silvio realize his significance to the world, believing such to be a more fitting resolution for the “Italian Hero of France.” Silvio returned to his family on June 8. On the night of the same date, with the knowledge acquired from Fabien's documents, Silvio successfully summoned the Anima Casus responsible for his hallucinations to the pond once populated with Anima Casus. The spirit identified itself as Silvio's grandfather and claimed that it was same Anima Casus that Silvio encountered in his childhood and before discovering the pond; the Anima Casus had just recently regained fragments of its human identity, explaining Silvio's reoccurring hallucinations. Silvio spent the night near the pond, recalling his past experiences; following this, his grandfather revealed to him that while all Sagi become Anima Casus upon dying, they were only the penultimate evolution of Sagi, meaning that it was indeed possible for Silvio's grandfather to regain his own identity and physical body with time. Following this, Silvio's grandfather told him that he was proud of what he had become and advised him to never abandon his identity before vanishing. Later Life and Death On July 1, 1517, Silvio received a mysterious letter delivered by a cloaked Sagi. The letter, written by Gillberto, assured Silvio that their mother was still alive and had remarried to a wealthy noble, reviving the family. As written by Gillberto, he and Clarice were informed of Silvio's whereabouts and heroics by “a strange man by the name of 'Vincenzio da Rocca di Papa.” Silvio, believing that his family deserved to know the truth of Massimo and his own reasons for remaining in France, composed a letter himself and requested the anonymous Sagi to deliver it to them. Silvio would never hear from his family again. For the sake of his research as well as the sanctity of France, Silvio would often participate in Hollow extermination, allowing him to more frequently encounter Shinigami. On May 16, 1522, Silvio once again encountered the Shinigami he had first sighted by the pond and eventually befriended her. Relations between Sagi, Agostinha, and Shinigami had been eased as a result of Silvio's actions, allowing him and the Shinigami to harmlessly exchange stories. In an effort to fully explore his potential as a Sagus, Silvio would often train in solitude using methods taught to him by Agostinha (as Vincenzio); among his most notable improvements was learning how to fly using Volatus, a technique which he immediately demonstrated to a cheering crowd on September 13, 1558. As Silvio's abilities continued to grow, many inexperienced Sagi sought his wisdom and power, including abandoned children; however, Silvio would only mentor a total of four Sagi children, all of whom he would eventually adopt as his own children. On the night of December 2, 1561, Silvio, having fallen ill three weeks after the death of his wife, was killed in his sleep, along with the rest of his family, by a small group of Agostinha's zealots in retribution for Massimo's death, beginning Silvio's new life as an Anima Casus. Silvio managed to write one last journal entry before completely losing his identity. As a radiant wisp of light, Silvio flew out through his bedroom window with a new ambitious goal—to oversee the physical world and one day become the holy crusader hailed as a hero of France once more. Randa retrieved Silvio's body upon hearing of his death, burying him and Rex Nothus as tribute and sealing his casket with a Vox Calamitosus spell to ensure that the sword could never again be abused by a Sagus like Massimo. Legacy It was thanks to Silvio's journal (when discreetly published by Randa) and those involved in the holy war against Massimo who would spread the word outside of France that human awareness of supernatural entities, especially Sagi, was greatly increased throughout all of Europe. Silvio's experiences influenced positive changes within European Sagi cults as well (coincidentally during the Renaissance)—with the new philosophies of their cults, Sagi were encouraged to socialize with humans and aid them against corrupt supernatural idealists whenever necessary; as a result, Sagi reputation throughout Europe became largely positive. Silvio's influence over European Sagi also assisted Ichchha majorly in the formation of Diluculum Aeternus. Silvio is viewed by Agostinha's European worshipers as not only Her emissary, but a true rebirth of Axenus. After several centuries of wandering Europe as an Anima Casus, Silvio would be reborn as a Venator Scientiae, later adopting the name of Silvio Privette. Upon taking his own life after reclaiming the memories of his past life, Silvio would be reborn yet again, now a twisted spirit born of mysterious circumstances, a mere shadow of the heroic man he once was. Powers and Abilities Natural Abilities Longevity: Despite never learning Anima Obscuritas, Silvio's lifespan was clearly superior to that of an ordinary human thanks to his Sagus heritage; even at an old age, Silvio still maintained the physical appearance of a young adult, albeit with grayed hair. Advanced Growth Rate: As noted by Randa, Silvio's Sagus abilities improved at a rate completely unheard of for any Sagus Inferior, which may have been the result of having learned some of Agostinha's training methods. By the time of his death, Silvio had already learned every basic Pactum Anima technique (sans Vinculum Inconstans) and was even in the process of developing a Donum Verax. This exceptional growth as a warrior also applied to his physical capabilities; for example, although he was trained in the art of swordsmanship in his youth by his father for only a short period of time, he was already capable of slaying a single hardened soldier on his own. Randa states that had Silvio still been alive in the present day, he would have been a truly exceptional Sagus. Keen Intellect: Silvio's intellect, while not at the level of a genius, was one of his greatest tools as both a scholar and a warrior. Silvio was capable of grasping difficult concepts without any assistance, a trait most notably applied in his youth. With his exceptional social skills acquired later in life, Silvio could gain the respect and trust of even those only vaguely familiar with him, such as Randa and Fabien. According to Agostinha, assisting Silvio was largely unnecessary, as Silvio possibly would have located Rex Nothus by himself eventually. *'Expert Strategist and Tactician:' With his general knowledge of combat and his ability to daftly predict his opponents' movements, Silvio could drastically simplify otherwise difficult conflicts. Silvio was particularly skilled at managing multiple enemies at once, such as when he protected his mother from several soldiers by diverting their attention and separating them enough so that they could be dealt with one at a time. By the time of his final battle with Massimo, Silvio was a skilled enough strategist to lead a small army to victory. Swordsmanship Specialist: Particularly feared in this regard, Silvio's skill with a sword far surpassed that of any average human. Silvio primarily relied on broad and powerful two-handed strokes to quickly slay his opposition, rarely using thrusts; his attacks were noted to be very difficult to safely defend against. It it said that, with one particularly focused slash, Silvio once bifurcated several lightly-armored troops with a single horizontal stroke; by employing the same level of focus on his opponent's weapon, Silvio could easily break their guard and leave them open for a counterattack. With a string of persistent yet deliberate attacks, Silvio could effectively keep his opponents on the defensive even if they dodged rather than blocked said attacks. Silvio occasionally made use of his sword's handle to deflect linear attacks. When wielding his sword in his right hand only, Silvio primarily utilized turtling techniques in conjunction with Sagi elemental sorcery in his left hand. Silvio's sword techniques were largely improvised from, and ultimately superior to, his father's. Natural Physical Agility: Silvio, having been trained by Ichchha, could further undermine his opponents with refined, acrobatic movements. With proper balance and timing, Silvio could dodge low-aimed attacks using jumping handstands, and even flip off an opponent's weapon and leave them in a disadvantageous position. When using a short weapon such as a dagger, Silvio could easily position himself beyond an opponent's range for the purpose of delivering a decisive counterattack Dagger Specialist: Silvio was reportedly exceptional with the use of daggers, capable of using them to overpower opponents competent with much longer weapons. When wielding a dagger, Silvio commonly relied on quick successive thrusts, or a single thrust aimed at a vital area, to rapidly incapacitate his opponents, rarely slashing with the blade. Silvio dual-wielded daggers on two separate occasions; when doing so, he primarily relied on rapid slashes with both daggers rather than thrusting attacks, defending with the dagger held in his left hand when necessary. Expert Equestrian: Silvio, by the time of his battle against Massimo's forces, was such a proficient horse rider that he was said to be far more dangerous on horseback. Using techniques taught to him by Ichchha, Silvio formed a powerful bond with his steed which allowed him to perfectly synchronize with it to execute extraordinary maneuvers; for example, Silvio could maneuver his horse to elude soldiers armed with horseman's picks and even defeat them with a weapon as short as a dagger. By acting in tandem with his steed, Silvio could hold his own against soldiers in the dozens simultaneously and “switch” combat roles with his steed in an instant to attack and defend at the same time, making him nigh untouchable by human conventional means even when not using his Sagus powers. Pactum Anima Fire Manipulation: Silvio's Donum allowed him to alter the properties of his Pactum Anima to resemble fire and exert it against his opponents. As Silvio's abilities as a Sagus fire sorcerer were very basic, fireballs were his usual method of applying his Donum against his opponents. Silvio was at least a competent enough Sagus fire sorcerer to generate fire from a distance rather than within his hands only, which he often used to conjure rings of fire to isolate his opponents; he only manipulated fire within his hands as a means to supplement his swordplay with an element of unpredictability. Silvio's fire was persistent enough to quickly heat metal, which allowed to him to use it effectively against armored opponents. As with any other Sagus fire sorcerer, Silvio was completely immune to reishi-based fire. *'Gehennasimulacrum:' A basic and versatile fire Donum technique that involves coating one's weapon with converted Pactum Anima, imbuing the user's physical attacks with fire and changing the weapon into a medium for fire sorcery. Because of Pactum Anima's nature, a Gehennasimulacrum medium cannot collide with anything the user does not wish to harm—in the case a Gehennasimulacrum medium collides with an unintended target, it will simply phase through it, which can be exploited to bypass an opponent's physical defenses. Aside from using Gehennasimulacrum to enhance his already devastating swordplay, Silvio could scatter the energy of the medium in the form of numerous wisps of flame upon swinging it, following which he could direct the energy according to his will and use it either offensively or defensively. Turris Anima: Silvio obtained this technique sometime during his training with Agostinha, though he could only use it at a very basic level; he was at least proficient enough with it to apply it in battle. For maximum effectiveness, Silvio often made use of this technique after scattering his medium's energy during Gehennasimulacrum; the sudden outburst of energy would allow him to catch his opponents off-guard and decimate them with a single attack (as required by its inferior duration) disregarding their protection. Volatus: Silvio's Volatus, as with most of his other Sagi techniques, was too basic to serve its general purpose; in this case, a high-speed lofty movement technique. For the majority of his life, Silvio could only use Volatus to either delay a fall for a short period of time or cushion it; he primarily used both as a means to survive extraordinary heights and ambush his opponents. Silvio eventually became proficient enough with Volatus to fly at a slow speed. Simulacrum Pacta: While too inexperienced with Simulacrum Pacta to use it to enhance his bodily capabilities, Silvio was still capable of dividing the Pactum Anima within his body, which he would most often perform as a meditative technique. Corpus Tremor: A pseudo-variation of Corpus Ubique Praesens that forgoes instantaneous teleportation of the user's entire body and instead focuses on bodily repositioning, allowing the user to, for example, instantaneously position themselves to avoid an attack without leaving any openings. Corpus Tremor is performed using the same method as Corpus Ubique Praesens, but in this case, the user simply imagines themselves in another position rather than in another location. Unlike Corpus Ubique Praesens, Corpus Tremor can be used without any possible ill-effects. Silvio simply used Corpus Tremor to dodge attacks he would otherwise be unable to. Equipment Relationships Randa Primarosa Ichchha-un-Idika Edha Guha Thakurta Velia Agostinha Vivax Massimo da Parma Louis XII Quotes Trivia *All images used in this article were drawn by the author. *As with most of the author's characters, Silvio is inspired by a characrer from one of the author's original stories.